


If We Have Each Other

by dieseldevi



Series: Azami & Sasuke [1]
Category: Naruto, Naruto Shippuden
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergent, Comfort, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Holiday Divergence, Hurt, Meet Cute Divergence, Original Female Character - Freeform, Post War, Post canon, Rare Pairings, Rememberance, Sasuke Uchiha/OFC, Sasuke Uchiha/Original Female Character - Freeform, Strangers to Friends, Sweet, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, rare pair week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24100933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dieseldevi/pseuds/dieseldevi
Summary: The Avenger and the Ice Princess. Two paths of redemption collide at random... or was it planned? Azami Sute is not as she seems, but there's something about her. Former Akatsuki, but she was saved by Itachi - can he trust her?
Relationships: Sasuke Uchiha/Original Female Character
Series: Azami & Sasuke [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738891
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	If We Have Each Other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amikotsu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amikotsu/gifts).



“You’ve been staring at his grave for an hour. It’s Sasuke, am I wrong?”

He didn’t even sense the woman when she had come up behind him. Soft pink hair framed a delicate face with a deep red ribbon holding it in place at the back of her head. Cat-like green eyes were fixated on his face. If he had guessed, she wouldn’t be much older than him. He could see that she was certain of his identity, which begged the question of - 

“He knew my sister and I.” 

There weren’t many people that Itachi knew.

He had always been a bit of a loner, even before the Uchiha Massacre. Shisui had been his best friend and the loss of the man had been devastating. It took Sasuke a few moments longer than he’d liked to understand. There was a scratch through her headband, a teal ring resting on her hand. He’d last seen it during the war months before, fighting against the bomber named Deidara. “Akatsuki.” He hadn’t heard of any female members other than Konan, and briefly, Karin. The thought that there had been more astounded him, but he remained stoic as he took in her appearance. She wasn’t much shorter than he was and appeared to be unarmed. As the word left his lips, she smiled and the air around them seemed to slowly drop in temperature. After a second, Sasuke could see his breath in front of him. “Once upon a time, yes. It was your brother that told Ran and I to get out.”

Ran. 

He had heard that name before.

When she drew closer, the air around him felt colder. He set his hand on his sword, a frown playing across his lips. His freedom had meant something, a second chance he should have never had. “Itachi was a friend, and he told me to look out for his younger brother once he succumbed to illness.” She smelled of honey and orange blossom, but there was something else lingering beneath the other two. Earthy and fresh. Dirt? No. “My brother wouldn’t have asked that.” The coldness in his voice had vanished after he had left Konohagakure with the promise that one day, he may return.

The road to redemption would be a long one.

He saw her watching him from the corner of her eyes, amused. 

“You clearly never saw the man drunk.”

Her words puzzled him, enough that he glanced back to the headstone. Someone had left flowers there before, wilted and decayed to the point husks only remained. Did Itachi ever drink? He didn’t seem the type. He had always been one for control, but the small woman seemed sure of herself. “Ran was his partner before Kisame joined. I was paired with Hidan.” The words had him looking back to her. She didn’t seem the type to want to ruin the world, to follow in Obito and Madara’s path, to follow in Pain’s path. In fact, the woman was seemingly light in comparison to those he’d met.

“You don’t-.”

“Seem the type? I suppose not. If it paints an easier picture, you may recognize the title Ice Princess.”

It was with those words that Sasuke understood.

He wanted to see it for himself.

He drew his chokutō and at the same time, he felt the temperature drop as if it were the middle of winter rather than the peak of summer. As he swung, ice formed in front of her to create a barrier. His mind went back to when he was a fresh genin. The ice barriers. Haku. He had nearly died. When he stepped away from her, he didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath. The woman looked as if she had expected it, her gaze calculating and predatory. A cat and mouse. She wasn’t afraid of him. “You’re from the Yuki clan.” She shook her head, Sasuke smirked. “My mother was. My name is Azami Sute.” His gaze went back to the hitai-ate. 

“Shimogakure.”

“The Hidden Frost village.”

She acted as if he hadn’t swung at her as she took a seat. The woman was perfectly at peace with her surroundings. “Are you going to sit down, or are you going to continue staring at me, Sasuke?” He was perplexed at her calmness, speaking to him as if they’d been friends for years. Her friendliness reminded him of Naruto, causing an ache to his heart as he considered the life he had left behind in Konoha. Sakura had asked to come with him. He should have let her. “When did you leave the Akatsuki?” He found himself asking as he slowly moved to sit with her to his side. He used his sword to keep balance, unsurprised when he noticed her predatory eyes found the hanging sleeve.

If she was curious, Azami knew best not to ask.

“Ran was killed by Pain, and Itachi ordered me to leave.”

He looked at her, a blank expression across his face. She spoke his name so easily, both of them.

“He requested that I visit here, as he expected you would be around sometime.”

There was a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes that he couldn’t look away from. She gestured towards his sword and slowly, Sasuke resheathed it. “I was on the verge of death when your brother convinced me to leave. Angry, hurt. My sister was all I had in the world, and he said he recognized that hate.” She looked towards the headstone when she spoke and for the first time, Sasuke noticed the small white box resting in her lap. “I wouldn’t be surprised, given the circumstances.” He was quiet when he spoke, but if Azami had heard him, she didn’t ask him to elaborate. She seemed to know enough about him, anyway. The clan’s story was almost as bloody as her own. “Ran was the world to me, and her loss was significant enough that I froze one of our other members from the inside out. She died to protect me.”

She fell quiet and he watched her fingers toy idly with the edges of the box. Sasuke didn’t know what to say, what to offer if anything. She and her sister had killed their family. She wasn’t an avenger; she had been on the same level as what he’d believed Itachi to once be on. After a few moments, she opened the box and handed it towards him. Sasuke found himself staring down at a few sticks of dango. He’d never liked sweets, or the sweet in particular, but his brother had. “Ran always bought Itachi dango on his birthday, he’d always try to hide his smile. I’m not one for the sweetness of the syrup, but these were from their favorite shop. She really loved him.”

The pieces began to come together and Sasuke’s onyx eyes softened as he realized his brother had something. He hadn’t realized it, he hadn’t realized the possibility. He watched as Azami shrugged when he didn’t reach for the offered dango before taking one for herself. When she began to eat, he frowned. “How long did you two know him?” There was a pause in her chewing and green eyes looked at the man curiously. “You want to know if we knew him after he murdered your clan.” She mumbled around the sweet. Her blunt nature was substantially different than what he was used to. Konohagakure had honest people, but she was something else. 

“How did you-.” 

Azami winked at him. 

“People talk enough when you can make them fear for their lives.”

He knew it was very true. He still frowned at her, not that she seemed to care much for it. She offered him the box one more time as she took a bite from the dango she was holding. That time, he took one and eyed it. “Ran was the poisonous one, not me.” She said around the food and he snorted quietly at the words she spoke. “You aren’t very lady-like, Princess.” He smirked at her and caught a dry look that was surprisingly different from the carefree personality she had shown. As he took a bite, she flicked her wrist. The dango was just cold enough that his tongue stuck to it and he saw the childish expression of amusement that crossed her features as he gave her a look. She grinned, a surprisingly bright grin, and he was able to chew the sweet thoroughly.

“Different from the one he used to take me to as a kid.”

He murmured, and took another bite. That time, it didn’t stick to his tongue and he was able to chew slowly. The sweetness of the dango was lesser than the syrup that coated it. The dough was springy, not too soft or too firm. The kind that he had was cherry blossom, and as he finished chewing, Sasuke went to swallow only to see Azami staring at him curiously. There was a mischievous glint to her eyes once more before he watched her sway idly and begin to hum something. She formed an ice rose that had him looking at it curiously before she set it down. “Happy birthday, Itachi.” She said quietly and Sasuke watched as she sat the rose down in front of the headstone.

He didn’t know why it meant so much to hear those words.

Someone was celebrating his life.

“He wasn’t… he killed my clan on orders of the Hokage and the elders. To prevent civil unrest.” Sasuke found himself saying before he could stop himself. “To prevent an uprising against the village by my father.” Azami looked at him. That time, there was no gleam in her eyes. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking as her emerald green eyes studied him. His brother had done a lot, but he should have never been hailed as a villain. Kakashi had never fixed the story, he doubted he would. Sasuke’s pardon had only reached himself after a year of isolation, but he wanted someone to know his brother’s sacrifice, the truth about him. So, why not the quiet woman that had brought dango to Itachi’s grave? The quiet woman that claimed he had been loved by another in life after so much death.

Azami was silent for a few moments and he wondered if she was mourning the Akatsuki member, Itachi. The wrong Itachi. A smile finally crossed her lips and she gave a soft nod of her head as she said, “I truly expect nothing less from your brother, Sasuke.” She answered sincerely and got to her feet. She closed the box of dango and a soft breeze rolled over them, the final piece to the puzzle of earthiness from the woman identified as almonds hitting him. He’d smelled it before, the familiarity only coming to him as he realized she had been there the day his brother died. Pulling himself off the ground, Sasuke watched as the woman stretched idly. 

The kimono she wore loosely over her tank top loosened, revealing a small tanto hidden away. The knowledge that the strange woman had chosen to reveal her kekkei genkai to him made him curious. She was showing that she trusted him, without knowing him. “You saw him die.” Sasuke stated and she smiled again. “I see a lot of things.” Slowly, the icy feeling around him began to decline as a warm breeze crossed over his skin. “Itachi was ready to pass on and be with Ran. He told me not to interfere.” She lifted her chin and he saw a scar against her throat. It was thin, but there. “He said you deserved your chance to make him proud, not that you ever failed to.”

For the first time in a long time, the Uchiha avenger stared at someone with a bewildered expression. She didn’t seem bothered by it as she said, “Our paths will cross again, Sasuke. I wish you well on your redemption walk.” She closed her eyes when she chuckled at him and stared to turn away. His hand reached out to catch her upper arm as he glanced back down at his brother’s headstone and frowned down at her. Despite the ice that she had projected earlier, her skin was surprisingly warm to the touch and soft under his calloused thumbs. He felt a hand gingerly place over his own as he said, “Why don’t you join me?” before he could stop himself.

Azami smiled again, revealing a row of perfectly straight teeth as she said, “Won’t your girlfriend be mad?”

The fact that she knew about Sakura had his gut churning.

“You said that you’re Akatsuki. You should walk your own path of redemption.”

He motioned to the scratch across her hitai-ate and he felt her gaze lingering on his face. Azami gave a soft bellish laugh as she said, “And, what makes you believe I want redemption?” It was a challenge. He could hear the edge in her voice, that soft, sweet sound that had a heavier tone when she reached the final word. It took Sasuke a few moments to find the answer, but he remembered that his brother had asked her to wait for him, and that was answer enough. Itachi thought Sasuke would need her at some point, and it was all the direction he needed as he dropped his hand. He reached up before she could pull away and he poked her in the forehead.

Azami seemed to be waiting for it as she nodded.

“That was a good answer.”

“Where to, next?”

He watched as she looked out to the cloudless sky and seemed to bask in its warmth. She didn’t seem to mind it, despite growing up in the cold. “I hear Suna is nice this time of year.” Sasuke made a face at the thought of running into Gaara and the sand siblings. Azami laughed, a sound he realized he could get used to. “Alright, you choose then.” He motioned for her to start walking and felt the weight of a hand pressing down on his shoulder, causing him to stop and turn. He felt the pink haired woman looking at him curiously as she said, “Sasuke?” The dark haired man gave a shake of his head as he said, “It’s nothing” before they began to walk again, falling into comfortable silence. 

As they went over the hill, he took one final look at his brother’s headstone and said, “Happy birthday, Itachi.”


End file.
